NEW YORK, United States — Ben Simmons will
not make his
Brooklyn Nets debut before the start of the NBA playoffs as he
struggles to regain fitness after a back injury, coach Steve Nash said Monday.
اضافة اعلان
Australian star Simmons has not played for Brooklyn
since joining the club in a blockbuster trade from the
Philadelphia 76ers in
February.
The 25-year-old Melbourne-born point guard is
battling to recover from a herniated disk in his back, which has left him
unable to fully train with Brooklyn.
Nets coach Nash said Monday
Simmons would miss the
remainder of the regular season, which draws to a close on Sunday, and most
likely next week’s play-in tournament.
Nash said while Simmons had shown signs of
improvement by taking part in light shooting and strengthening work, he was
still far from full fitness.
“He was doing nothing on the floor. But obviously he
clearly started strengthening and doing some light shooting,” Nash said.
“So super positive on one hand; on the other hand,
it’s not like we’re expecting him in the lineup in the next week.”
Nash said the Nets would not risk Simmons in the
playoffs unless they were certain about his fitness. Simmons has not played a
game in the
NBA this season.
“In this situation, we’ve got to put his health and
safety first and make sure that we’re certain he’s ready to play and
contribute,” Nash said.
“He hasn’t played basketball, so you don’t know what
kind of Ben you get. And he hasn’t been in an NBA game for, you know, nine to
10 months.”
The Nets are 10th in the
Eastern Conference and have secured
a place in the play-in tournament next week where a ticket to the postseason
will be on the line.
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